A comprehensive redevelopment

The Wandsworth Acute Unit (WAU) is a new mixed gender inpatient facility for adults with acute mental illness at Springfield University Hospital. It comprises an 18 bedded acute ward (AAU) and a 10 bedded psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) together with community team bases and outpatient facilities.

Situated in Tooting, South West London, the hospital is the largest of the Trust’s 50 sites, with 33 hectares of land, with a number of protected heritage buildings and preserved trees.

Designed by MAAP Architects, the aim was to create an environment which is conducive to therapeutic treatment and recovery within the constraints of an urban block framework. The challenge for this project was to provide welcoming and attractive buildings filled with natural light and to provide direct access to safe and secure high quality open space. The street pattern defined by the masterplan suggested the new mental health facilities would occupy similarly sized buildings. The existing topography of the site presented opportunities to accommodate car-parking and services underneath and increases the perimeter of the building for other uses including a small café and garden in the south east corner (not yet realised).

The cost of construction was £23m and the building was completed in April 2009.